MARQUEE MATCHUPS

Once again last week, we saw extremely low requirements and a lack of quality packs released from marquee matchups, however, this doesn’t mean that value cannot be found. Selling in the hype has become our best friend, as more and more people begin to prepare or invest at a later stage, our investments can be sold with minimal risk. On top of this, we have the possibility of CL marquee matchups popping up once again, and some of these matches allow us to double down on our investments for these.
 

FC Barcelona vs Real Madrid

We kick start this week's predictions with one of the biggest matches in world football, well, this is usually the case however based on how these clubs are currently playing, there may not be all that much to get excited about. With Barcelona currently in third, and Real Madrid in fifth, both clubs have an incredibly slow start to the season, and with both schedules only becoming busier, things really need to turn around soon. The big bonus here, is that both clubs could easily feature within the CL marquee matchups as well, providing us with a double investment opportunity.

Tottenham vs Manchester City

This game gets a mention, however with the premier league having featured in the previous marquee matchups, expectations of seeing it feature are fairly low on my end. The reason we include this however, is once again due to the fact that both sides are top tier teams within the league, and the fact that we have a chance of either of them featuring within the CL marquee matchups, if we see them released again this week.

Lazio vs Inter Milan

Last week saw the Milan derby miss out on a spot within the marquee matchups lineup, so surely this week we will be seeing a game from the Serie A feature, right? Well, as we should all know by now, nothing is certain when it comes to EA, however we do have two possible matches to choose from if we decide to take this route. First up we have a huge match between fourth place Lazio and third place Inter Milan. Again, some of this covers a possible CL marquee matchups, and hence becomes even more viable once again.

Napoli vs Roma

If Lazio vs Inter Milan doesn’t quite tickle your fancy, then fear not, as we have yet another monumental game to contemplate from the Serie A. This time we see second place Napoli playing host to sixth place Roma, in a game that once again sees two CL sides going head to head. Just in case you haven’t worked out the focus of these selections yet, most of them will provide us with a double investment opportunity, linking up the regular MM with the possible CL ones that could drop.

PAOK vs Panathinaikos

Over to Greece now, where we find two of the biggest clubs, from two of the largest cities, going head to head for all the glory on the pitch. According to Wikipedia, this is a football rivalry only, and the two sides from Athens and Thessaloniki respectively, have nothing but respect for eachother, making this all about the football. PAOK currently sit atop the league, with Panathinaikos all the way back in sixth, however we all know how things can change, and 3 points could make all the difference come the end of the season.

Hearts vs Hibernian

We head across to Scotland for this selection, where we find a derby that usually brings a fair chunk of hype, but this time, it has a drawback of sorts. The Edinburgh derby is a fixture that features the two Scottish sides, Hearts and Hibs, and while this match could easily make the cut, the fact that it takes place on the Wednesday before MM is released, is the factor that worries me most. Again, discard investments for these lower tier games should be what we are after.

Sydney FC vs Western Sydney Wanderers

Our final selection this week sees us heading across to Australia, where we find another match that carries a similar potential to that of the Melbourne derby that was excluded last week. The Sydney derby began back in 2012, and surprisingly features two clubs from Sydney. Investments here are simple, aim for anything you can at or around discard, and sell early for safety.